Sunday, September 30, 2012

What Went Wrong: It's official, the 2012 Colorado Rockies are the worst we've seen in their two decade long existence, surpassing the 95-loss team from their inaugural season in 1993.

(Please, hold your applause. There are still four (road) games remaining on the schedule and this record in futility could still grow all the way into the triple digits.)

So it's not really about what went wrong tonight. It's about what has been going wrong for essentially three years, leading us to this dreadful season that will mercifully end in four days.

Turning Point: Matt Kemp cracked a really long two-run homer in the 4th. He then added a completely unnecessary solo homer in the 8th, because the Rockies had already resigned to their fate and checked out after the first one. Typical road Rockies. Typical September Rockies under Jim Tracy. You know all the cliches and hashtags.

Nothing to see here. Standard Rockies four-inning outing that was neither excellent nor disastrous. It was just kind of there, which is a fitting ending to Chatwood's season.

That said, I still have a decent feeling about Chatwood long term, but odds are he'll never ever sniff his potential with the Rockies.

Bullpen's Line: 4 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR

Jim Tracy was in heaven tonight utilizing six different relievers to navigate the final four innings. Of course three of those relievers (Rex Brothers, Josh Roenicke and Matt Reynolds) faced a grand total of four hitters, retiring only one of them. But by golly, our manager was out there managing and pushing buttons and making all kinds of things happen! Shake his hand and give him another lifetime deal.Highlight of the Night: What the heck would we do without Wilin Rosario and Josh Rutledge giving us some glimmer of hope for the future? Both have been an absolute joy to watch for several reasons, including plays like this one.

What's Next: It's the season finale against Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon at 1:10. We'll get one last look at Jorge De La Rosa (0-1, 9.45) in that one, so hopefully he'll give us something to feel good about. On the flip side, Los Angeles sends Josh Beckett (6-14, 4.76) out for his final start of his personal disaster season.

Final Thoughts: Tyler Colvin was scratched from the lineup on Saturday night with an elbow issue, joining Jason Giambi on the injury list with a hernia. That leaves the Rockies with one... yes, ONE... healthy bench player in Jonathan Herrera. It's September. The rosters are expanded. And the Rockies STILL only have ONE healthy player on the bench. You can't make this stuff up.